Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Officer (Patna, Shimla)

The United Nations Volunteers is seeking a Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Officer for onsite positions in Patna and Shimla, India. This full-time role involves supporting the integration of disability considerations into disaster risk reduction strategies at state and district levels. The assignment, which begins on July 1, 2026, focuses on enhancing the participation of persons with disabilities in disaster management efforts and improving relevant institutional frameworks.
Deadline to apply is 17 June 2026


Description of assignment title
Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Officer
Assignment country
India
Duty stations
Patna, Shimla
Host entity
UNDP
Modality
Onsite
Type
National
Volunteer category
Expert UCoS from Apr2026
Work schedule
Full-time
Number of Assignments
2
Work location
On UN premises
Expected start date
01/07/2026
Duration
12 months (with possibility of extension)
Context
Persons with disabilities are among those most disproportionately affected by natural hazards, climate-induced disasters and public health emergencies.
The Sendai
Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 recognizes persons with disabilities as important stakeholders and calls for their inclusion across disaster risk reduction (DRR) policies and practices. At the national level, India’s Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 mandates the protection, safety and assistance of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including disasters and humanitarian emergencies.
India has a strong disaster management architecture, anchored in the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) and District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs). However, disability inclusion within state- and district-level DRR systems remains uneven and insufficiently institutionalized. Key gaps include limited use of disability-relevant data in preparedness planning, weak continuity arrangements for assistive technology and essential services, inaccessible early warning and evacuation systems, and inconsistent participation of persons with disabilities and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in preparedness, response and recovery.


In response UNDP in close coordination with UNICEF, WHO and the UNRCO, is implementing the District-Level Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DiDRR) Project in partnership with the SDMAs of Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha, and OPDs. The project will be implemented in 10 high-risk districts across the three pilot states as a proof of concept to generate practical tools, institutional models and lessons for wider scale-up.


To anchor this work within state institutions and support sustained implementation, three Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Officer (DiDRR) Officers will be engaged, one in each pilot SDMA. The DiDRR Officers will serve as the primary state-level technical resource persons for disability-inclusive DRR, supporting coordination, technical planning, OPD engagement, district-level implementation and documentation of lessons from the pilot.


Task description
Under the overall supervision of the Programme Specialist, UNDP and the day-to-day functional guidance of the designated SDMA counterpart, the DiDRR Officer will provide technical advisory, coordination and capacity-development support to advance disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction at the state, district and community levels.
The Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Officer (DiDRR) Officer will:


Undertake a situational analysis of disability inclusion within the assigned state’s DRR architecture, including institutional capacity mapping, OPD ecosystem mapping, review of relevant state and district disaster management plans, and preparation of actionable recommendations and a workplan for the assignment period.Provide technical support to strengthen the application of relevant national and state disaster management policies, plans, SOPs and related frameworks so as to better integrate disability inclusion across preparedness, response and recovery systems.Support the development and application of key technical tools and frameworks for disability-inclusive preparedness and planning, including a state-contextualized DiDRR checklist, disability data synthesis, assistive technology preparedness and continuity planning, and stakeholder coordination mechanisms.Support community-level preparedness processes across the pilot districts, including inclusive micro-planning, accessibility assessments of shelters and camps, and strengthened coordination among Aapda Mitras, OPDs, local authorities and persons with disabilities.Support the design, delivery and documentation of disability-inclusive training, simulations and other capacity-building activities for government stakeholders, frontline workers and community actors.Prepare a state capacity-building roadmap to supp